Consequently, Zimondi’s three deputies Fadzai Mupure, Rhodes Moyo and Aggrey Machingauta, were conferred with the deputy commissioner-general titles at the Prisons Mess in Harare.

Mnangagwa said the rebranding of the Zimbabwe Prison Services to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services and the conferment of the new title to Zimondi is meant to modernise the prison service.

“It is therefore my belief that such changes should not be retaken as a mirror of changes but rather changes which reinforce the department’s desire of building an effective and efficient service which is a well functioning law enforcement and rehabilitative system,” Mnangagwa said.

“Similarly, the key goal of the concept is to have a modern system which is geared to improve detention conditions for offenders in line with the country’s constitutional requirements and the United Nations' minimum rules on the treatment of offenders.”

The Justice minister said Zimbabwe's security agencies were facing challenges emanating from inadequate funding from Treasury.

To that end, he implored the Prison Services to utilise resources at its disposal to unlock value.

“I therefore urge you to take advantage of such resources and opportunities at your disposal to drive the service to greater heights,” he said.

“It remains to be my expectation that the department must have all the modern instruments that will guarantee production and self sustenance in terms of feeding the prison population and contributing both to the national granary and enhancement of national security.

“You have several farms that are lying idle. We want to see them being utilised.

“Your bosses always complain of shortage of resources. I say you must find them,” he said. Mnangagwa promised to look for funding.

“As minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, I will continue to lobby that the department gets adequate financial support from the Treasury to capacitate and enable it to discharge its constitutional mandate as both expected and required,” he said.

The minister encouraged prison officers to uplift themselves academically, so that they stand a better chance of promotion.

Meanwhile, Zimondi told the Daily News that there was need to build new prisons.

“Our prisons are very old,” Zimondi said. “There is no ventilation at all. We have nothing to do. We just have to build the new prisons according to the standards set by the United Nations. So far we have one in Masvingo’s Mutimurefu, Kadoma, Khami and Mutare prisons.”

He said inadequate funding has seen prisons facing a critical shortage of staff, accommodation, provision of prisoners’ dietary scale requirements and other necessities. He said Zimbabwe’s prisons have a holding capacity of 17 000. The prisons were currently overcrowded by about two percent.

“Due to the overcrowding for us to be able to feed those people, provide clothing and blankets, it requires a lot of money,” he said. “We are just managing with what we get from Treasury,”.

He said hopefully, the ministry of Justice would be able to build low-cost staff houses and cell blocks at prison farms to decongest urban prisons.

The commissioner-general said the department has 24 farms which were not exactly lying idle, but were not being fully utilised because of prevailing budgetary constraints.

He said though there is adequate personnel to work the farms, there were no resources for equipment and inputs.

“The service aims at attaining improved production at our farms to reduce dependence on the fiscus, which at most has always run short to meet our
demands,” he said.

Comments (4)

Rebranding? Do they even know what that is? So typical isnt it?

Galore 123 - 31 July 2014

hey guyz, does it mean in zimbabwe its only the 1980 leaders still being circulated and re..assigned are the good ones. the country has gone down in every respect but the same who preside over that are still doing the same things and looting with no country in heart...Mr President, do you really have guts with these people like, Mpofu, Chombo neven your close one Ngwena...rise and put a line

goat - 1 August 2014

Emmerson, you and your colleagues in ZPF make ideal candidates for these institutions!

John o - 1 August 2014

Mhondi dzaMunangagwa. Rewarded for murdering the "good" general! Tichakubai zvedu. One day is one day!

Tongogara - 1 August 2014

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